Felt-treating machine



we 23, 1923. I mfzmsa A. J. RYAN FELT TREATING MACHINE Filed Oct. 2, 1920 Patented Get. 23, 11223.

UNHTEEDD STATE innate ALBERT J. RYAN, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

FELT-TREATING MACHINE.

Application filed October 2, 1920. Serial No. 414,236.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT J. RYAN, a citizen of the United States, and a residentof Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Felt- Treating Machines, of which the followin is a full, clear, and exactdescription, re crence being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part, of this specification. t

My invention relates to machines for treating felt or the like with a hardening material which is impregnated into the felt, and upon cooling and d ing leaves said feltin a stiff condition. uch felt is used in various ways, among others in the manufacture of box toes for shoes.

' It is the object of my invention to impregnate felt or the like with quick hardening material in a continuous manner, so that a roll of the fabric may be passed through the machine and then stored. In the past it has been necessary or considered so, to dip the piecesfof felt into the material and then lay them aside to dry, or else toemploy a large number of expensive rolls and presses, which'made for slow operation and great manufacturing cost. 1

According to my invention, a machine is provided which immediately after passing the material in a continuous stripthrough .a very hot molten bath of the hardening medium, operates to force the medium into the body of the fabric, and at the same time remove'the excess material and let it fall back into the bath.

My objects as above noted and other advantages to be described I accomplish by that certain construction and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter more specifically pointed out nd claimed.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a sectional view of the device.

Figure 2 is a detail perspective taken through the impregnating and stripping device which is located directly over the bath, and receives the fabric before it strikes any other object. 1

The device is specially constructed so that sufiicient heat can be maintained under the bath. Accordingly there is a foundation 1, in which is sunk a v at 2, beneath which vat is set a gas burner 3, or other'means of applying direct heat. There is also formed a chamber 4 alongside of the vat on the outside thereof, which permits the prodnets of combustion to play against the sides of said vat. The presence of the water vat ion the inside of the foundation prevents the use of a hot air chamber on the other side of the hot bath, unless the size of the machine is considerably expanded. The vat 2 has an idler roll 2 set'within it below the level of the molten material.

Mounted across the top of the vat 2 is a stripper and impregnator 6, formed preferably of two parts united together to form a square with longitudinal openings 7 and 8' therein for the passage of the fabric, enforcing an angular path to said fabric'after leaving the vat-and before being led fur-- ther. I

Over the vat are further mounted a pair of standards 9, which mount an idler roll 10; The water vat 5 is sunk into the founelation as above noted, and has a roll 11 set therein below the level of the cooling or hardening bath which is maintained therein.

Located just beyond the cooling bath are the calender rolls 12 and 13, which are driven by an actuated pulley 14, on a gear 15 0n the large roll 12, which said gear 15 drives the small roll through a gear 16.

Beyond the one set of calender'rolls the material may be assembled in whatever form is desired for storage, or be cut into the desired individual shapes, without further" treatment.

With the machine as so constructed, the fabric is first passed down over the roll 2 in the vat 2 and thence through the stripper and impregnator, thence over the roll 10, down through the vat 5 and thence to the rolls 12, 13. The power to draw the cloth along is applied by the rolls 12, 13, and the cloth passes continuously through the machine.

Due to the construction of the vat 2, a flame and high temperature can be applied to the vat, which would not be practical if the game were heated by steam.

The exact form of the stripper and imnegnator is not essential, as the features of it which are essential are the two slots through which the felt passes, being drawn in an angular path through both of them, thus a piece of doubly split tubing, set with the slots out of line with the direct path from the vat idler roll 2 to the roll 10 may be employed.-

The position of this stripper device is also of importance as it acts on the cloth to both stretch, squeeze and scrape it, directly after it leaves the molten bath of the hardener mixture. This therefore works the hardener into the fabric, before it has hadv time to be affected by the atmosphere and fabric with hardening compound, I may while it is still under the influence of the heat of the vat. It follows, also, that the excess mat-erial wiped off of the fabric by this device will fall back into the vat;

W'hile not desiring to limit my invention by describing my theory of the reason why my device will act to properly impregnate a continuous strip of absorbent material. or

state that it is my understanding that the simultaneous stretching, squeezing and scraping of the fabric, caused by running it on an angle tothe path of its line of pull through a pair of slots, is what imparts the proper quality to'myhardened felt. The

saving in hardening material is very great,

. and the speed of treatment and thussaving of labor is also a great economy. Furthermore, as above noted, my product is more uniform in texture, and less likely to be over-filled with the gums and waxes of the hardener compound,-thereby becoming inconvenient to handle during the manufacture of fine shoes.

The water bath may be used in the second vat or some fixing and cooling or hardening compound, so long as the impregnated felt isnot so sticky when it comes to the calen- -der rolls that it gums up and becomes unmanageable.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A machine for impregnating a continuous strip of fabric with hardening compound, which comprises means for drawing a strip of fabric through the machine, avat a strip of fabric through the machine, a vatfor molten hardener compound, and a device /to. rezeive the fabric located so as to drain into the vat, said device formed of a. tubular body, having slots therein set in a plane transverse the direction of withdrawal of the fabric, whereby the compound is accumulated within the bodyand is scraped from the fabric, andworked into the fabric while same passes through said two slots, another vat for-hardening com ound, said means for drawing the strip accumulation thereof in a roll, said strip drawin means comprising a series of guidrough the machine; "adapted to move the strip down through this vat for hardening the fabric prior to ingrol s, and a drum ontowhich the completed piece is rolled.

. ALBERT J. RYAN. 

